Pubdate: Thu, 01 Nov 2012 Source: Daily Reporter, The (IA) Website: http://www.spencerdailyreporter.com/ Contact: 2012 Spencer Daily Reporter Author: Gabe Licht MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISCUSSED LOCALLY Since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Medical marijuana has also been discussed in Iowa and was the topic of a Wednesday afternoon forum at Compass Pointe Behavioral Health Services in Spencer. Dr. Christian Thurstone - the medical director of the Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention Program at Denver Health and Hospital Authority - was the keynote speaker. He began "The Blunt Truth About Medical Marijuana Symposium" with a video clip of a 1994 National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws meeting, in which an official talked about medical marijuana as a stepping stone to outright legalization of the drug. "We're voting on it next week and it's leading in the polls," Thurstone said of legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, while a similar initiative in Oregon is trailing in polls. Thurstone spoke predominantly about the observations he has made regarding medical marijuana in Colorado, as well as the effects on adolescents. In Colorado, 94 percent of medical marijuana prescriptions are for severe pain, compared to 1 percent for cancer, Thurstone said. He also noted that 5 doctors account for 50 percent of the medical marijuana recommendation forms in the state and just 15 doctors account for 72 percent of such forms. "At $100 per recommendation, there are doctors making $1 million a year from medical marijuana," Thurstone said. At the same time, the state has a $5.7 million shortfall for the regulation of medical marijuana. He added that amendments have improved medical marijuana laws in Colorado, but expressed concerns about mobile referral stations and advertising that appeals to young people. "Advertising to young adults is advertising to adolescents because that's who they want to be," Thurstone said. While the brain's reward center is fully mature at age 13, the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which Thurstone referred to as the "brakes," is not. "That helps explain why adolescents are more susceptible to marijuana," he said. He rejected arguments that marijuana is not addicting, as did local drug investigator Casey Timmer. "When I started with this position, I sat with other 25-year-olds whom I grew up with," Timmer said. "I found I had very little in common with them because these drugs had taken desires, goals and motivations away from people." Ultimately, Thurstone is against the legalization of marijuana, but also opposes the imprisonment of low-level users and barriers to housing, employment, loans and benefits for people with marijuana offenses. He also promoted more research and education about medical marijuana, in addition to a "compassionate use program for Sativex," an oral spray of THC and Cannabidiol. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt